Chapter 26: Encountering Highway Robbers? I'll Report Them Instead!

Looking at the five rogue cultivators surrounding him from front and back, with the scar-faced leader even being at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, Lin Xuan was not panicked; instead, he felt somewhat... nostalgic.

This familiar scene made him feel as if he had returned to the days when he had just transmigrated to Qingyun City. However, he was no longer that minor Qi Refining cultivator who had to kneel and beg for mercy.

He wore an appropriately "terrified" expression, his body trembling slightly, and his voice "quivering": "A... a few heroes, I... I am just a poor loose cultivator, I don't... don't have many spirit stones on me..."

The scar-faced man gave a sinister laugh and brandished the ghost-head blade in his hand: "Cut the crap! I've been eyeing you for a long time! You spent a thousand spirit stones at Old Wang's place to buy a pile of junk without even blinking, and now you're playing poor with me? If you're smart, hand over your storage bag, and I'll spare your dog life!"

The other cultivators also let out malicious laughter and slowly closed in.

Lin Xuan sneered inwardly; it turned out he had been targeted back in the treasure-hunting area. While maintaining his facade of "fear," he secretly circulated his spiritual power and quickly pondered how to handle the situation.

Reveal his Golden Core cultivation and kill them in seconds? That would be letting them off too easily. Besides, killing in the streets of the Imperial Capital, even if the other party were highway robbers, could attract trouble from the city patrol guards, which did not align with his (temporary) principle of keeping a low profile.

Knock them out with a brick? That would be convenient, but it might cause too much of a stir.

It seemed he had to use a more "civilized" method.

His gaze swept over the group, and a plan suddenly formed in his mind.

"H... heroes, don't do anything! I'll give it! I'll give it, won't I?" Lin Xuan "pleaded" while slowly reaching to untie the storage bag at his waist (the ordinary one).

The moment his fingers were about to touch the storage bag, he seemed to "stumble" due to "excessive nervousness," his body involuntarily lunging forward, crashing right into a short cultivator on the left who was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment!

The short cultivator instinctively reached out to push him away.

The instant their bodies made contact, a trace of imperceptible Golden Core spiritual power from Lin Xuan's fingertip pierced into the other man's body like a fine needle, precisely sealing several of his key acupoints!

"Ugh!" The short cultivator only felt his whole body go numb, his spiritual power instantly stagnated, and he couldn't even make a sound. He stood frozen on the spot, with only his eyeballs able to roll in terror.

All of this happened in a flash. To the others, it looked like Lin Xuan had "accidentally" bumped into his accomplice, and then the accomplice had just frozen up.

"Monkey! What the hell are you dazing for!" the scar-faced man cursed in dissatisfaction.

However, Lin Xuan's "performance" was not over yet. He steadied himself in a "panicked" manner and apologized repeatedly: "Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to!" At the same time, his foot "slipped" again, and his body swayed as he crashed into another cultivator on the other side.

Same trick again!

After being "bumped" by him, another early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator stood frozen on the spot!

With two people hit in succession, even the slow-witted scar-faced man sensed something was wrong! His expression changed: "Damn it! This kid is weird! All together now, finish him!"

The remaining three, including the scar-faced man and two mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, simultaneously activated their magic treasures and lunged at Lin Xuan!

"Oh my! Murder! Help, city patrol guards!" Seeing this, Lin Xuan immediately opened his throat and shouted miserably with a voice infused with a trace of spiritual power. At the same time, his footwork became extremely "disordered," swaying left and right in the narrow alley like a drunkard, narrowly avoiding the slashing blade light and a fireball spell.

His movement technique appeared completely chaotic and full of openings, yet he always managed to dodge attacks at the perfect moment and "unintentionally" directed the attacks toward the other two frozen accomplices.

"Bang!"

A blade aura from the scar-faced man, unable to stop in time, grazed Lin Xuan's clothing and slashed directly onto the shoulder of the cultivator nicknamed "Monkey," instantly drawing blood! Unfortunately, the latter was frozen and couldn't even scream.

"Bastard!" The scar-faced man was both shocked and furious.

A wind blade released by another cultivator was also "accidentally" deflected when Lin Xuan "bumped" into it with his back, causing it to strike the alley wall and leave a deep mark.

While "awkwardly" dodging, Lin Xuan continued to call for help, his voice sounding as miserable as if he were being subjected to the ten great tortures.

The commotion here finally attracted attention.

"Who is making a scene and fighting here!" A stern, authoritative shout came from the alley entrance.

A team of city patrol guards wearing standard black armor and exuding a fierce aura rushed in. The captain leading them was surprisingly at the early stage of Golden Core!

Seeing the city patrol guards, the scar-faced man and his group turned pale, knowing they had kicked an iron plate today! They wanted to run, but Lin Xuan's "disordered" footwork and cries for help had invisibly blocked their best escape route.

"Officer! Officer, help!" Lin Xuan acted as if he had seen a savior, scrambling to the side of the guard captain and pointing at the scar-faced group, tears streaming down his face (all acted): "They... they are robbing me in broad daylight! They even want to kill me to silence me! Look, my companions were all injured by them!"

He pointed at the two "Monkeys" and the other accomplice who were still standing frozen with blood flowing from their shoulders.

The guard captain swept his sharp gaze over the scene. Five clearly malicious cultivators were surrounding a "Qi Refining" loose cultivator, two of whom were injured and frozen, and there were signs of battle on the ground. With both human witnesses (Lin Xuan) and physical evidence (the injured), the case was clear.

"Audacious! How dare you commit robbery in the Imperial Capital! Take them all!" The guard captain snorted coldly and waved his hand.

The guards behind him pounced like wolves and tigers. The scar-faced man tried to resist but was directly restrained by a burst of spiritual power from the guard captain. The others had no power to resist at all and were tied up tightly with chains, along with the two who had been frozen.

"The officer is truly discerning! Many thanks for saving my life, officer!" Lin Xuan put on a look of immense gratitude and bowed repeatedly.

[Ding! Detected the frustration and despair of the scar-faced man and others, emotion points +3333!]

[Ding! Detected the sense of justice of the city patrol guards being satisfied, emotion points +666!]

The guard captain glanced at Lin Xuan, seeing that he was indeed only at the "Qi Refining" realm and dressed in ordinary clothes, not appearing to be a fake, so he waved his hand: "Alright, be careful in the future. Although the Imperial Capital is large, it is not entirely a place of kindness. You may go."

"Yes, yes! Many thanks, officer!" Lin Xuan thanked him again, then lowered his head and walked quickly out of the small alley.

Walking out of the alley, the "terror" and "gratitude" on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a playful smile.

Without any effort, he had solved the trouble and incidentally helped the Imperial Capital clean up some trash; he felt even more refreshed.

He patted the non-existent dust off his body and was just about to return to the Four Seas Pavilion when his gaze was drawn to a striking notice posted on a nearby wall.

The notice was issued by the Imperial Dynasty; the paper glowed with spiritual light, and the text was written using a special technique that made it unforgettable.

"Recruitment Order: Recently, there have been unusual movements in the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range. Low-level demonic beasts are restless, and there is a fear of a beast tide. To prevent trouble, we are specifically recruiting cultivators at the Golden Core stage and above to form suppression squads to go deep into the mountain range, investigate the source, and suppress high-level demonic beasts. Participants will be rewarded with spirit stones, elixirs, and cultivation arts based on their merits. Those with outstanding merits can obtain 'Golden Core Condensation Jade Liquid' or treasures of equal value..."

Golden Core Condensation Jade Liquid!

Lin Xuan's gaze instantly locked onto these four words!

The Four Seas Trading Company supported his bidding, but there were many competitors, and it might not be a sure thing. This Imperial Recruitment Order actually listed the "Golden Core Condensation Jade Liquid" as one of the rewards! And it could be exchanged through merits; compared to the auction, this seemed to be another path?

Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range... He remembered that previous intelligence said Ye Chen and Liao Chen had also gone to the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range? Could it be related to this unusual movement?

Risk and opportunity coexisted. Participating in this suppression mission would certainly mean facing the risk of a beast tide, but it was also an opportunity to quickly acquire merits and exchange for the "Golden Core Condensation Jade Liquid," while also being able to inquire about news of Ye Chen.

Lin Xuan rubbed his chin, a look of contemplation flashing in his eyes.

"It seems that before returning to the Four Seas Pavilion, I must first go to this 'Recruitment Office' to take a look."

He changed direction and walked toward the Imperial Dynasty Recruitment Office indicated on the notice.

A new choice had already been placed before him.

(End of Chapter 26)